Richard John Barker (27 October 1951 - ) is a New Zealand politician. He a member of the Labour Party, and currently serves as a junior cabinet minister.

Barker was born in the town of Greymouth, on New Zealand's West Coast. He attended Greymouth High School and then Otago University. After first working as a shop assistant, bartender, storeworker, farmhand, driver, factory worker, and quarrier, Barker became involved in the trade unions, primarily those relating to the service sector. He eventually became National Secretary for the Service Workers' Union.

Barker first became a member of the Labour Party in 1973, and served for a time as the Industrial Representative on the party's national council. In the 1993 elections, Barker successfully stood as the Labour candidate for the Hastings electorate. He has been re-elected ever since, although the seat has now been reconfigured as Tukituki electorate.

In 2002, when Labour was re-elected for a second term in office, Barker was elevated to Cabinet, becoming Minister of Customs, Minister for Courts, Associate Minister of Justice, and Associate Minister of Social Services and Employment. Later, on 25 August 2004, he was given additional responsibility as Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector.